Phaedra's Love

By CDV, 2007Directed by Julián Fuentes RetaPICA, WAWriter: Sarah Kane / Assistant Director: Richard SeidelSet: CDV & Andrew Lake / Lighting: Andrew LakeA radical reworking of Seneca's classical tragedy of incest and unrequited love, 'Phaedra's Love' (first performed at the Gate Theatre, London, 1996) is a provocative interpretation of a woman's destructive obsession with her stepson and the misery that ensues. Kane drags the story kicking and wailing into the twenty-first century, presenting an unflinching examination of our societal fascination with sex, violence and celebrity.

The main features of the set for this production were two large rectangular sheets of glass suspended in the middle of the stage, which were smeared with diluted paint at different points in the show by the performers, which allowed projected images to be visible from both sides (audience were seated around the stage) and created a translucent effect.